Monday, May 19, 2014

CIN asserts an unchanged mission amidst a time of growth and transition

RALEIGH-DURHAM, NC—Community Investment Network (CIN) Board of Directors has announced that Valaida Fullwood will serve as interim Executive Director as it embarks on a search for a permanent successor to Chad U. Jones. After a three-year tenure, Jones stepped down from the staff last week.CIN is a national nonprofit organization that invests in the development of black and multiracial giving circles and connections among donors of color.

“Valaida is familiar to the Network and is taking on the interim role after past leadership as a founding CIN board member and eight years as a founding member of New Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP-Charlotte) giving circle,” says Board Chair Darcel Madkins.

Fullwood also is well known as a BlackGivesBack.com contributor and author of the landmark book Giving Back. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she is a seasoned consultant, project manager and public speaker in the field of philanthropy. This year, she is the Lake Distinguished Visitor at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Valaida joins Tony Pigford, giving circle coordinator, on the CIN staff and will head the organization until a new Executive Director takes the helm.

Madkins states that 2014 is a “transformative season” for CIN, in part because this fall marks an important milestone: 10 years of convening and connecting everyday givers and giving circles. “The board is committed to positioning CIN for a new era of growth, communication, collaboration, strategic initiatives and impact.” Madkins is a founding member of Sankofa giving circle in Pittsburgh, PA, which is part of the expanding Network. Byron Baldwin serves as board vice chair and is a member of both A Legacy of Tradition(ALOT) and Next Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP) giving circles in Durham.

“We have a contingent of dedicated board members from a range of sectors, professions and communities. I value their perspectives and integrity,” says Madkins.

During the CIN 2014 National Conference, October 2-5 in Durham, the Network will commemorate its first convening a decade ago. Stories of impact—from circle members, national thought leaders and community-based change makers—are a focus of the three-day conference. Darryl K. Lester, founder of CIN, and Linetta J. Gilbert, longtime champion of CIN and community philanthropy, are honorary co-chairs of the conference. Plenary speakers include Dr. Jacqueline Copeland Carson, an international consultant on philanthropy.

About Community Investment Network: CIN is a nonprofit membership organization that inspires, connects and strengthens African Americans and communities of color to leverage their collective resources and create the change THEY wish to see. Learn more about CIN and its conference at thecommunityinvestment.org.